Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers NFL Draft history: Best player taken in each round

By Peter Panacy

SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 20: Former member of the San Francisco 49ers Jerry Rice looks on against the New Orleans Saints during an NFL game at Candlestick Park on September 20, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 20: Former member of the San Francisco 49ers Jerry Rice looks on against the New Orleans Saints during an NFL game at Candlestick Park on September 20, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /
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Joe Montana #16, back up Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers during the National Football Conference West Divisional Championship game against the Washington Redskins on 9 January 1993 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, United States. The 49ers won the game 20 – 13. (Photo by Otto Gruele Jr/Allsport/Getty Images)
Joe Montana #16, back up Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers during the National Football Conference West Divisional Championship game against the Washington Redskins on 9 January 1993 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, United States. The 49ers won the game 20 – 13. (Photo by Otto Gruele Jr/Allsport/Getty Images) /

Round 3: Quarterback Joe Montana

Selected No. 82 overall in the 1979 NFL Draft

No one will ever convince a 49ers fan there is a better quarterback in NFL history than Joe Montana.

And those who say this accolade belongs to that guy from New England, who was a die-hard Montana fan as a kid, forget Montana never threw a Super Bowl interception. Nope, not one.

Montana is one of the two biggest faces in San Francisco lore. And yet the future Hall of Famer wasn’t seen as a top-tier talent in the 1979 NFL Draft. Montana lacked a big arm, was seen as cocky and had so-so NFL Scouting Combine efforts.

All this led to Montana slipping into Round 3, which is exactly where the 49ers grabbed him at No. 82 overall.

San Francisco was going through a complete rebuild after a number of putrid seasons in the late 1970s. By 1981, Montana and the upstart 49ers had started to cement themselves as a dynasty in the making.

Honorable Mentions: OT Bob St. Clair (No. 32 overall), LB Dave Wilcox (No. 29 overall), WR Terrell Owens (No. 89 overall), RB Frank Gore (No. 65 overall), WR John Taylor (No. 76 overall), G Guy McIntyre (No. 73 overall), LB NaVorro Bowman (No. 91 overall)